Lachlan Morton, Mark Padun to assist displaced Ukrainian junior riders
This article originally appeared on Velo News
Lachlan Morton and his Ukranian EF Education-EasyPost teammate Mark Padun are continuing their efforts to assist those suffering in the wake of the Russian invasion.
Morton and Padun head to Poland this weekend to distribute Cannondale bikes to 13 children who fled Ukraine when Russia began its offensive of the east European country earlier this year.
The move marks a continuation of a months-long effort by EF Education-EasyPost pair.
The Donetsk-born Padun has been collecting cycling clothing and equipment to hand to refugees, while Morton raised $297,000 for Global Giving's Ukraine Crisis Relief fund when he rode from Munich to the Ukranian border this March.
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Padun fled from his homeland at the age of 17 during the first Russian attack of his country. His parents also fled and now live in America.
Padun, 27, is booked in with EF Education-EasyPost through 2024 after a tricky season that played out in the shadow of the latest Russian offense.
"The war started with my first race of the season and it was pure shock to me,” Padun said before he traveled to Poland. But this is my job. I am doing this as best as I can. I always had these thoughts about what was happening, always checking the news, always asking the relatives how they are doing and hoping it is going to end soon."
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